April 6, 2017
Review: The Pox Party
The Pox Party by M.T. Anderson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Fantastic. This book was not like anything else I’ve ever read. The premise of a slave being raised as the subject of an experiment in the nature of humanity and race was so interesting to consider. Anderson succeeds in pointing out the hypocrisy of the seperationist slaveholders who call for “freedom” from tyranny while continuing to deny their own slaves any hope of freedom. It is in-your-face, but so elegantly done that it is not offensive, but humbling and heart-wrenching.
This is not a book for the queasy; there are passages that will turn your stomach. The themes Anderson considers and his masterful way of handling them makes me want everyone to read this – but my kids will have to get a little older first.
In short, don’t be turned off by the length of the text, it is well worth it. Octavian is a character you want to root for, who succeeds, even in his own failures, to cry out for truth and dignity.
